


One Way or Another

by InterstellarVagabond



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-16
Updated: 2016-09-20
Packaged: 2018-08-15 07:44:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,186
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8048134
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InterstellarVagabond/pseuds/InterstellarVagabond
Summary: Two superheroes, two collégienes, maybe they haven't figured out that the object of their affection is right under their nose, but one way or another their caring shines through. Maybe they'll settle for that, or maybe someday they'll figure out just who is behind that mask.





	1. Le Régime de Adrien Agreste

Part of living above a bakery meant smelling like pastries and cakes, and carrying cookies around for Tikki certainly didn't help either. While Alya always said she smelled amazing and that it made her hungry, Marinette got sick of it after awhile. The good part about living above a bakery: free baked goods. Nothing won over classmates like white chocolate chip and macadamia nut cookies still warm from the oven.

"Marinette, have I ever told you that you're my favorite?" Alya said, happily biting into a cookie. 

"No, I don't think so, you should say it more often," Marinette teased. 

"Your dad's cookies really are the best," Rose exclaimed.

Most of the class was gathered around Marinette on the steps outside of school, snatching cookies from the tupperware that sat on Marinettes lap. The only ones not enjoying cookies and chatting were Chloe and Sabrina, who were pointedly ignoring the crowd. Well, them and Adrien. 

"Hey, Adrien, c'mere!" Nino beckoned for his friend. "You have to try these, they're amazing!"

"Oh, uh, yes they're ama-some....no awemzing....no...they're okay...my dad made them..." Marinette stuttered, turning scarlet as she held out the tupperware towards Adrien. She looked at her feet, hoping the model wouldn't see her blush.

"Ah, thank you but, I'm on a pretty strict diet," Adrien said, waving dismissively. "My father would kill me if he heard I cheated."

"Your dad has to remember you're his son first and a model second," Nino sighed. "What a drag."

"Well, I won't exactly argue with that," Adrien chuckled. "I have to go anyway, Chinese lesson. I'll see you all tomorrow."

"Nice flirting back there," Alya nudged Marinette with a smile. "Almost a full sentence this time."

"Can you believe his father has him on a diet?" Marinette said, shaking her head. "What kind of parent does that? It doesn't sound very healthy."

"The tragic life of the billionaire supermodel, so much quiet desperation," Alya said. "What he needs is a bad influence girl with sweets."

"Yeah, let me know when you find one that can actually talk to him," Marinette sighed. 

 

Adrien collapsed onto his bed, finally done with his schedule for the day. School, Chinese practice, and a photoshoot all in one day. For once he was happy that there were no akumatized monsters terrorizing Paris, as much as he loved being Chat Noir he was ready for a nap. 

"You're not going to sleep before I get my camembert, right?" Plagg floated over Adrien's head, acting faint with hunger. "I work so hard for you, can't you spare just some?"

"I left you some on the nightstand," Adrien mumbled into his pillow.

"I know, I ate it, I need more now!" Plagg said. "To think I have such a cruel master, I'm sure Ladybug treats her kwami much better!"

"Alright, just hang on," Adrien groaned, forcing himself to leave the welcoming embrace of his bed. He reached under the bed for one of the hidden cheese stashes he kept around the room for Plagg. Hidden out of necessity, if they were in plain view the kwami would gobble them up and then complain about there being no more. Plagg gave a happy cry as Adrien held out the cheese for him, and spiraled in the air before snatching it out of Adrien's hand. 

"So are you going on patrol tonight, or what?" Plagg asked, munching away.

"No, the streets of Paris are safe enough tonight without Chat Noir," Adrien yawned. "And Adrien has two more photoshoots tomorrow."

"Poor pretty boy," Plagg said. "You can have some of my camebert if you like." 

"No thank you, seriously," Adrien wrinkled his nose. It was a sweet gesture for the kwami to part with his most beloved snack, but the smell was just too much for Adrien. Plagg shrugged and zipped off to some private corner of the room to enjoy his snack in peace, leaving Adrien to kick off his shoes and nuzzle against the pillow. His eyelids sank heavily and for a moment he could feel himself in the twilight between sleeping and waking.

Then something came crashing through his window.

"Adrien Agreste!" a furious voice roared. Adrien jerked upright in bed and came face to face with a man glowing with light. He put a hand in front of his eyes to shield them, and while he was distracted the man grabbed Adrien and exited through the hole he'd made in the window. 

"You think you can have the spotlight all to yourself, do you?" the man roared. "Well you're not the only model worthy of the front page! Just because you're young and pretty doesn't mean you deserve the spotlight more than le projecteur!" 

Adrien had no time to react, Plagg was still back in his room and he couldn't transform now anyway. It would blow his cover if Adrien Agreste transformed into Chat Noir in front of all of Paris while attached to a supervillain that was literally a spotlight. 

"When I'm done with you, you'll know how to share center stage!" le projecteur growled. 

"At least pick a theme, is it fashion shows or theatre?" Adrien said, unable to bit back the witty comment despite the immenient danger.

"You disrespectful kid!" the villain shrieked, flying off towards a nearby rooftop.

"Put him down!" a familiar voice demanded, and Adrien's heart soared as he saw Ladybug approaching, her yo-yo spiraling in a circle by her side. She was also wearing a backpack which was odd, normally everything she needed for battle was with her miraculous. 

"Ladybug! Help!" Adrien yelled, though he realized he probably didn't have to get her attention with a villain as noticeable as this one.

"Adrien, can you reach the magazine?" Ladybug shouted. 

_The magazine?_ Adrien thought. He twisted as best he could in the villains grasp and saw that there was indeed a magazine clutched in le projecteur's other hand. 

"I think so!" Adrien reached out, managing to snag a page before le projecteur tossed him to the ground. Luckily the akumatized object was made of paper this time, so tossing Adrien only resulted in ripping the magazine and setting the akuma free.

"I'm freeing you from evil!" Ladybug cried, capturing the akuma in her yo-yo. As the purified akuma soared towards the sky, le projecteur transformed back into a regular human being who looked quite confused. 

"Ah...where am I? Oh no my photoshoot, I'll be late!" he tugged at his hair.

"Don't worry, there's still time," Ladybug said. "You can get down through those stairs there," she pointed over to the entry, and as soon as she pointed the man took off as if his life depended on it.

"Well, that one was easier than normal," Ladybug smiled. Her eyes fell on Adrien and a blush came to her cheeks. Adrien noticed it, even in the dark, and wondered what was wrong. Was she embarrassed to be seen complaining about work in front of a civilain? 

"Are you alright?" Ladybug asked. 

"Yes, I think so, just a little battered," Adrien stood and dusted himself off. As he stood he remembered he still didn't have shoes on, and his feet felt cold on the cement floor. "Thank you, Ladyb-" his thanks was interrupted as his stomach growled, and he blushed. "Eh, sorry, new diet and busy schedule, really isn't working," he stammered.

"Here," Ladybug pulled the backpack off her shoulders and reached inside. She withdrew a small paper bag and put it in Adrien's hands. "You can have this." Marinette couldn't believe it, she was forming complete sentences around her one true crush. Being Ladybug had always filled her with confidence, but this? It was insane! She wasn't complaining though.

"Oh, no I couldn't take it from you," Adrien started to protest.

"No, take it, really," Ladybug said. "Your stomach agrees, hear it?" she giggled.

"Y-yeah," Adrien blushed again, accepting the bag. "Thank you, Ladybug...for saving me and for this I mean! For both things!" he stammered. 

"Oh! Do you need a lift home? Rooftop jumping isn't so fun without shoes," Ladybug said, pointing at Adrien's feet.

"If it isn't too much trouble," Adrien said. "I'm sure you're very busy." Why was he so nervous? He wished he had Chat Noir's outfit on, the mask always helped him to say what was on his mind. No stammering or being the perfect Adrien Agreste, he could just joke and flirt and tell Ladybug...well, everything short of "I love you".

"Alright, air Ladybug taking off," Ladybug scooped Adrien up into her arms, and now both of them were blushing and hoping the other didn't see. Ladybug grappled with her yo-yo, swiging over the rooftops back to Adrien's house. The window had repaired itself, Adrien wondered when Ladybug had used her lucky charm. Had he been too busy fawning over her to notice?

They got in through the window that Adrien tended to leave open for Chat to come in and out of. Ladybug gently set Adrien down on his feet, and shuffled in place for a bit as if unsure what to do.

"Umm...if you're ever in town...same rooftop or anything...you can come back and see me," Adrien found the words spilling out of his mouth. "I mean...I'd like to pay you back for...for everything...you're probably too busy but..."

"That sounds nice," Ladybug said. "Thank you...it is Adrien right? The model?" 

"Yes, Adrien," Adrien said, smiling like an idiot. "I hope I can see you again soon, Ladybug."

"I'll see if I can swing by sometime," Ladybug was blushing under her mask, and she most certainly could not let Adrien see that. So she grappled back up to the open window and left with a silent wave and a smile. The cool night air felt good on her flushed cheeks as she swung back home, her earrings beeping.

Adrien sat back on his bed, a huge smile stretched across his face. 

"Wooooow wow wow!" Plagg purred. "Did you just get a date with your lady love?"

"It's....a miracle..." Adrien sighed happily. He felt a hunger pang in his stomach and remembered the paper bag Ladybug had given him. He opened it up and saw it was full of pain au chocolat, the smell enveloped him immediately. He didn't feel the slightest bit guilty as he bit into one of the flaky pastries, and with the idea of Ladybug coming to see him still fresh in his mind and a full stomach he felt better than ever.


	2. Un rendez-vous avec Ladybug

Marinette didn't realize she'd been dozing off until her face hit the desk with a loud thud. Her teacher fixed her with a glare but didn't say anything, and Marinette breathed a sigh of relief. She pinched her arms, trying to keep herself awake. Chasing akumatized villains all night was bad enough, but then after she'd met up with Adrien...

_The_ Adrien Agreste asked her to visit him. It was pretty hard to calm down enough to sleep after that. She had been up half the night blushing and rolling around on her bed with her face in a pillow to muffle her excited squeals. She'd barely managed to keep her cool as Ladybug, but as Marinette it was simply impossible. Meeting up with Adrien had even been worth sacrificing her late-night-patrol snack.

Peeking over at the blonde model, Marinette wondered if she should actually take him up on his offer. Would it be irresponsible of a superheroine to use her powers to get the boy she liked? She could almost hear Tikki scolding her. Then again, Tikki often told her that she deserved some relaxation and normal teenage things. Maybe she'd visit him. Would she be able to keep her cool? No, she wouldn't visit him. But then again it's not everyday Adrien Agreste invites you over. Okay, she was going to visit him.

"Marinette?" the teacher sighed.

"Eh?" Marinette blinked, suddenly aware of all eyes on her.

"I assume that means you don't have the answer to the equation?" the teacher said. "Please try to stay awake in class, I know it's a hardship, but try."

"S-sorry," Marinette replied sheepishly, blushing. 

Alya didn't let her hear the end of that one, despite how used she was to Marinette being a space cadet. 

"How long will it be before you paint eyes on your eyelids to get away with your in class naps, hmm?" Alya teased. 

"I just had a late night, I forget the homework and I had to stay up doing it!" Marinette said. 

"But you didn't have the homework," Alya reminded her.

"I forgot it at home! I have such bad luck!" Marinette replied, always ready with an excuse. That was Ladybug's real superpower-being really good at lying about where she had been and what she was doing.

Marinette glimpsed Adrien waving goodbye to Nino before getting into the sleek black car that always came to pick him up. Even though Marinette had long ago ditched the "Adrien Schedule" after realizing how...well...creepy it was...she still remembered that Adrien had photoshoots most days after school. She wondered when he had time to sleep between school and modeling and homework. 

_and being kidnapped by crazed akumatized villains..._

"Between sleep deprivation and cute boys you really have a lot of distractions," Alya said, waving her hand in front of Marinette's eyes.

"Yeah..." Marinette sighed.

That afternoon as the sun was setting outside Marinette's window, the young superheroine abandoned all hope of finishing her physics homework and decided to keep a date.  
"I'll just go this one time, to see if it's okay to do it or not," Marinette said to Tikki.

"It's nice of you to visit Adrien, but remember that being Ladybug is a serious responsibility!" Tikki said.

"I know, I know, and I won't abuse my powers, but...isn't it okay if they make my life a little better too?" Marinette shrugged.

"Oh Mari," Tikki chuckled. "I trust you, let's go see Adrien."

A few seconds later the spotted heroine of Paris leapt from Marinette's balcony and grappled across the street. The window she'd used to bring Adrien home last time was still open, so she made her way up there. It only occured to her as she landed on the sill that maybe it wasn't a good idea to enter someone's house uninvited. That's how she ended up side-stepping her way across the roof to knock on the glass paneling. 

Luckily Adrien was in his room, so she knew she wouldn't have to wait for him to see her. Still as she raised a hand to the glass she froze for a moment, butterflies filling her stomach. 

_Come on, you're Ladybug! You can do anything right? Even talk to the most wonderful, beautiful, kind, gorgeous boy ever!_

Marinette forced herself to knock.

When Adrien saw Ladybug his heart skipped a beat. He smiled and motioned for her to come in through the open window. He hoped he wasn't blushing too bad, he didn't want to make her uncomfortable.

"You came!" he said.

"I like to keep my promises," Ladybug smiled shyly. 

Adrien smiled at her for awhile before he realized that he had been standing there staring at her for sometime without saying anything. "Oh! You can sit anywhere!" 

"Thank you," Ladybug considered the choices of seating in the room, she decided sitting on the bed was too forward and instead took the swivel chair by the computer desk.

"I don't even know what to say," Adrien blushed. "I didn't think you would come. An incredible hero surely has better things to do than visit me."

"What?" Ladybug exclaimed. "But you're Adrien! You're the best! I-I mean that's what I hear, you know, around town when I'm on patrol," she corrected herself with much stammering.

"Well I'm still honored," Adrien said, sitting on the edge of the bed. "Thank you for coming to see me."

"You don't have to thank me!" Ladybug blushed.

Her and Adrien sat for a moment, both of them red as Ladybug's suit, then their eyes met and they both began to giggle. The giggling turned into full laughter and the pair laughed until they panted and fell silent. 

"It seems we're both nervous," Adrien said. 

"Yeah," Marinette said. "Hey, would you like to...go do something?"

"Do something?" Adrien said. "Like...like a date?"

"Yeah, something like that, or something, whatever you like, no big, whatever," Ladybug stammered. 

Adrien couldn't believe it. Ladybug, the same girl who would push him away by the nose when he flirted with her as Chat Noir, the superheroine that exuded confidence in everything she did, was stuttering! He couldn't believe that she was just as nervous as him...and was he imagining it or was she just as red too?

"I'd...like that," Adrien smiled. "But we'd have to sneak out the way you came in, my father would throw a fit if he found out I left the house instead of finishing my homework."

"Do you...is it...okay?" Ladybug asked as she stood and gestured to indicate that she was going to put her arm around Adrien. 

"Yeah," Adrien said, and Ladybug helped him out the window and onto the roof. Adrien had already seen the world from this angle as Chat Noir plenty of times, he was no stranger to rooftop running. Still, with Ladybug looking at him like that the world seemed a bit brighter and more interesting. 

"Hold on tight," Ladybug said, wrapping an arm around Adrien's waist and grappling off towards the nearest rooftop. Adrien did indeed hold on tight, he also noticed that Ladybug's hair smelled like flowery shampoo. 

Ladybug carried him through the city, swinging between rooftops effortlessly. Finally they arrived at a rooftop just across from the Eiffel Tower, which was beginning to shine in the darkening evening. 

"This is kind of cheesy, right?" Ladybug blushed.

"I like cheesy," Adrien said. "That...you getting us here and all, that was really fun."

"Yeah?" Ladybug smiled. "I guess I get used to it doing it everyday."

_I do it everyday too, just not like that._ Adrien thought.

"You're so brave," Adrien said, his voice awed. 

"You really think so?" Ladybug asked.

"Well, yeah, you're always saving the day so selflessly," Adrien couldn't believe the stuff spilling out of his mouth. It certainly wasn't the kind of line he'd pull as Chat Noir. No, that'd be something more like _of course my lady, you know how I love a woman that could kick my ass._

"Well, there are some perks," Ladybug said.

"Yeah?" Adrien said. "Like what?"

"Like this," Ladybug was bright red now. Adrien's breath caught in his throat, and he found his hand moving on its own. He put his hand over Ladybug's, and she looked startled but not upset. In fact she adjusted her own hand, wrapping it around his. Their fingers intertwined as they both hastily found somewhere else to look. They sat like that until the moon rose high in the sky.


End file.
